Do you see yon dastardly beast? I mentioned him in this post. If he were a dumb white squirrel I'd pay him no never mind except to tell visitors to our fair town that if they want to see one, come to our backyard. BUT no.. we have TWO of these invaders in our backyard but this one is a smart one.He likes our food he does. (assuming male, could be female).SEE!!!!!!!!!!!! He climbs the feeder posts!!!!

So now I am encouraged to foil him. I promise I won't get as desperate as our former neighbour who actively waged war on the squirrels as I don't hate them. I just don't like them wrecking my bird feeders! He's damaged one and totally ruined another, so I'm out to protect what's mine.

So for now I think I have foiled him. Will I need something more permanent? Oh, probably... but for now this is working. A simple solution of a cardboard box that doesn't alarm our birds. That still allows him to eat the feed the birds spill, and so satisfies all parties. Might he eventually out smart me? Possibly... but that's a battle still to come. :)How do you outsmart the squirrels in your life????

shortly after this I moved away from the window and the feeder was mobbed by chickadees, sparrows and finches. :)

My son .. he laughs. On one hand I put out nuts on the window ledge to attract the squirrels to the house and amuse the cats, and on the other hand I fight to keep them off my feeders. It's a funny world eh?All those inconsistencies.I reread my post and I see myself defending my actions say I MUST PROTECT what is in MINE!!!!!As if my stuff is so blooming important. My stuff ISN'T important.It's just stuff. And it's something I've taught my son... it's just stuff. If he breaks something accidentally I might sound upset at first but in the end it's just stuff so it's no real biggie. It's just a learning experience to be more careful. So it surprises me that I'm so irritated with the squirrels for wrecking the bird feeders.But part of it is.. I don't hate squirrels. They are funny critters with a hint of nastiness in them. And they aren't out to get me.. they are out for FREE FOOD. They aren't being malicious...just smart and greedy....So I suppose in some ways I'm like the squirrels you know. I want my stuff. I don't want to have to replace it and spend my hard earned money to do so. I don't want to have to work hard to replace things I want it FREE.Ah Father God... forgive that selfishness in me. Help me always to see the bigger picture. This is your world and all YOUR stuff, not mine. Let me be mindful of it, but not grasping and greedy. Let me not truly be a squirrel! :)Let's not be squirrels this day eh?